A Christmas Tale
by TheBeautifulNerd
Summary: Lily has always hated Christmas but this time is different. This time she has an incredible boyfriend to help make it extra special for her. One-shot.


**I never used to write one-shots because I always had ideas that I thought would be good for an actual story. Recently though, I've had a few ideas for one-shots and this is one of them :)**

"What's the matter with you?"

Lily looked up from staring into space, upon hearing Ethan's voice. He was walking towards her but how the hell was she supposed to take him serious when he was wearing a Father Christmas hat. It was two days before Christmas and the majority of staff were working. They weren't letting that stop their them from getting into the Christmas spirit though. There was a beautifully decorated tree up in the reception area and everyone was walking around wearing hats and reindeer antlers. Robyn was even doing a Secret Santa. Everyone was joining in, everybody apart from Lily.

"What's wrong?" Ethan repeated, placing an arm round his girlfriend's shoulder and kissing her. "You look as if you've just lost a pound and found a penny."

"I hate that saying," Lily grumbled, turning round so that her back was leaning against the reception desk. "I just hate Christmas, that's all. It's the most stupidest holiday of the entire year."

"How can you hate Christmas?" Ethan chuckled. "Look!" He gestured to the decorating, to the laughing staff and to the happy patients. "It isn't often that we have an ED full of jolly people. I was treating a young boy earlier with a broken arm, who said that he didn't care because he was having the best Christmas ever, and it isn't even Christmas Day yet."

"That's different," Lily pointed out. "That's a child. Children are supposed to love Christmas, which is what made me such a weird child."

"You hated it as a child?" Ethan asked, raising an eyebrow and Lily nodded her head at him. "You were weird."

"I have my reasons, all right?" Lily sighed heavily and folded her arms across her chest. "I hate Christmas. That is all you need to know."

She grabbed a pile of notes from the reception desk, gave her boyfriend a passionate kiss on the cheek and walked off to get on with her work. Ethan rubbed at the back of his neck and watched her walk away, just as Cal appeared at his brother's side with the box that Robyn had been passing round.

"Come on bro," he encouraged. "Time to pick your Secret Santa." He then noticed that Ethan was just staring into space, in the direction that Lily had headed. "What's wrong bro?" He asked.

"Lily just told me that she hates Christmas," Ethan told him. "Can you believe it?"

"No," Cal chuckled. "I actually can't. Do you know why?"

Ethan shook his head and dipped his hand into the box. "No," he said, glancing at the name that he'd picked out. "But I'm going to find out."

* * *

Ethan decided to go and find Lily during their lunch break. She was sat by herself in the staffroom, head in her copy of 'Little Women.' She looked up and fiddled with her glasses when Ethan entered the room.

"What's up?" She asked, marking the page and closing it so that she could give him her full attention.

"I just wanted to talk to you," he said and sat down next to her. "Um...Wh...Um...Why do you hate Christmas?" He stuttered.

"You're really not letting this go, are you?" Lily laughed.

Ethan shrugged his shoulders. "I'm curious," he replied. "We've been going out for a while but this is our first Christmas together. I wanted it to be special but if um...If you hate it that much, what's the point?"

"I'll put up with it if it means that much to you," she said and opened her book to start reading again.

"No," Ethan said and snatched the book away from her, placing it on the coffee table in front of them. "Firstly, I want to know why you hate it so much."

"Really?" Lily asked and Ethan nodded. "Fine. I'll tell you," she said and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "When I was younger, my parents didn't believe in Christmas. They didn't believe in giving presents to children and they didn't believe in the magic of Father Christmas or anything like that. They always told me he wasn't real. They never took me to see him, every time I saw him in the shopping centre they just said that it was some man dressed up and that Father Christmas wasn't real. He was just a myth for children."

"Which he is," Ethan chuckled.

"Maybe," Lily said. "But you don't tell kids that. Christmas is meant to be a magical time for them. I never even got presents at Christmas, we never put up a tree to decorate. It was just like any normal day. My parents just didn't approve of the idea."

"That's awful," Ethan said. "Every child should deserve to have a Christmas."

"I know," Lily sighed. "And that's why I don't like it. It was just...I guess it was just ruined for me as a kid. That's all." Ethan nodded and was about to speak when Rita walked in.

"Lily," she called. "Can you come and help out with a patient, please? Everyone else is busy."

Lily nodded in agreement and turned to face Ethan.

"Meet me in reception at the end of our shift," Ethan said and gave her shoulder a rub. "We'll finish this conversation then."

"Sure," Lily said and stood up to go and help out Rita.

She'd never told anyone why she hated Christmas, but she hadn't really realised how much Ethan had liked it. Cal liked it as well. Maybe they had lovely Christmas Day's as a child. She wasn't sure. She helped Rita out with a patient, helped another one and had a performance review with Connie before going to reception to meet Ethan. Everyone was there, except Ethan himself.

"Are you coming to the work Christmas party after work, Lily?" Louise asked, signing herself out.

"Sorry," Lily whispered. "No. Besides, I think Ethan wanted to talk to me about something."

"Well, he's coming too," Robyn said and shrugged her shoulders.

Lily didn't say anything to that. She just stayed where she was, waiting patiently for Ethan to make an appearance. Soon, she heard a jingle of some bells and she frowned and turned round to see Ethan walking towards her. He wasn't in his scrubs or clothes though. He was wearing a Father Christmas suit with the beard covering his mouth and the hat flopping down over his glasses. In his left hand, he held a set of bells that he jingled as he walked.

"Oh my god," Zoe gasped, holding her hands to her face.

"What the hell is going on?" Connie questioned, strolling out of her office to see a fake Father Christmas standing in the ED.

"Ssshh," Rita quietened her, her eyes fixated on Ethan and Lily.

"What are you doing?" Lily laughed, finally able to get the words out. "Ethan!"

"Making you like Christmas," Ethan said and kissed her on the lips. "You never got a Father Christmas. Well, you have one now."

"I love you," Lily giggled, pulling the fake beard down so that she could see his face properly before kissing him back. She soon noticed that everyone was staring at them. "Go away guys," she said teasingly. "Can we have some privacy at least?"

"Not yet," Ethan said, holding a hand up. "I also have a present for you."

"Okay?" Lily frowned at him, confused.

"Merry Christmas Lily, from your secret santa," Ethan said and pulled a small, leather box out of his pocket. On the top, Lily's name was stapled, the name that he'd pulled out of the Secret Santa box earlier. Lily cautiously took the box in her hands and opened it up to reveal a small, silver, diamond ring. "Lily Chao..." Ethan began, getting down on one knee.

"Oh my god," Cal said in complete shock.

"Will you marry me?" Ethan continued, smiling up at his girlfriend.

Lily clamped a hand to her mouth and nodded, staring at the ring in the box. "Y...Yes," she sobbed. "Yes Ethan. I'll marry you."

Ethan felt tears come to his eyes as he stood up and embraced Lily in a hug, kissing her passionately. Everyone cheered and clapped, congratulating the happy couple one by one. Ethan kissed Lily on the lips and slid the beautiful diamond ring onto her finger carefully.

"Pub then?" Louise asked, patting Lily on the back.

Lily nodded, giving Ethan's hand a squeeze.

"Yes," she said with a smile. "Definitely."

And it was that day that first made Lily fall in love with Christmas.


End file.
